As the D-can opened, the viewers once again erupted into excitement. Hime looked at the contents with an eager smile, but that quickly turned into a disappointed expression.
「It was a dud. Just one candy.」
〔Is the D-can mocking us with just candy?〕
〔Looks like Beta’s luck doesn’t extend to D-can contents〕
〔Opening the D-can is lucky enough as it is〕
〔Unopened D-can: 1000 yen, candy: 10 yen. We lost on this one〕
The festive atmosphere quickly turned somber.
But considering it was just one piece of candy, it was probably exactly what it seemed.
「Ah, Hime, I’ll hold onto the candy for you.」
「Huh? I was thinking of crushing it in frustration.」
「DON’T!」
Milk raised her voice suddenly.
「What’s wrong, Milk? Why are you shouting?」
「W-Well, they say biting candy can cause cavities, right? Plus, we need to submit everything from this expedition, so you should hand it over to Taira.」
「You’re right. Taira, please.」
「Got it. I’ll take care of it.」
Upon further examination, it was indeed a skill orb.
I’ll swap it out with a regular dungeon drop later.
They look the same, so it should be fine.
Now, what to do with this skill orb?
Since it relates to agility, there’s a high chance it’s meant for Hime.
I’ll store it in the inventory for now.
-0-
On the eleventh floor, we encountered an old foe—an Ogre.
The one we fought in the Expo Park Memorial Dungeon was an Evil Ogre, which appears on the thirteenth floor. This one, however, is just a regular Ogre. Its skin is red, unlike the black skin of the Evil Ogre.
Instead of an iron rod, this one wields a black wooden club.
「One hit from that could be dangerous. Ayame, use Wind Walk—Ayame?」
Something was wrong with Ayame.
She was staring at the Ogre, her face pale.
It seemed she was remembering the time the Evil Ogre attacked her in the Expo Park Memorial Dungeon.
Though she’d continued to explore dungeons after that, the trauma of facing death couldn’t be erased so easily.
Milk cast her magic, but it had little effect.
Without any support magic, Hime couldn’t approach the Ogre.
Should I be the one to defeat it?
No—
「Ayame!」
I called her out.
「Ichino…san?」
「You defeat it.」
「B-but—」
「If I were a typical guy, I’d say, ‘Leave this to me’. But right now, I don’t want to be the guy who just protects you. I want to be your comrade, fighting alongside you.」
The Ogre was approaching. Hime drew its attention, dodging its attacks while shouting, ‘Do whatever you have, but hurry up!’
「I’ll always protect you, Ayame. So don’t worry, hit it with something big! Your magic won’t lose to an Ogre.」
I readied my sword and called out:
「Hime, get back!」
I stepped in to switch places with Hime, who was showing signs of fatigue.
She couldn’t dodge the Ogre’s attacks by a hair’s breadth anymore, and had been making large movements to avoid getting hit, which had drained her stamina.
The Ogre swung its wooden club down, and I blocked it with my sword.
It was heavy—heavier than I was comfortable with.
The margin of safety was long gone.
So this is what real dungeon combat feels like.
Suddenly, I heard the sharp snap of skin being struck. When I glanced back, Ayame’s face, which had been pale, was now flushed with color.
「Ichino-san, jump to the side!」
「Got it!」
I leaped to the side, and just then—
「Release: Wind Ballista! Triple shot!」
Three invisible arrows of wind shot out, their force so powerful that, despite jumping out of the way, I was pinned against the wall by the pressure. And then—
「Huh?」
I couldn’t help but voice my surprise.
The three magic arrows had punched three gaping holes into the Ogre’s body—literal wind holes.
I couldn’t help but let out a dry laugh at the sheer overkill of her magic.
「Haha… it was weaker than I thought.」
Ayame said with a sheepish grin as she sat down.
「Ayame, you okay?」
「I think I just… got scared a bit too much.」
「You did great.」
I reached out, took her hand, and helped her back to her feet.
After the fight with the Ogre, Hime suggested we conclude the investigation.
Ayame had completely drained her magical reserves, and considering the strength of the Ogre’s attacks, even Milk might be in danger of serious injury.
Continuing could risk destroying the ‘Substitute Bracelet’ she was wearing.
Though we had planned to reach the fifteenth floor, reaching the tenth was sufficient for the investigation.
The point of the stream was to demonstrate the safety of dungeon exploration, and getting seriously hurt would defeat the purpose.
Hime’s decision to end things here was wise, and we all agreed.
-0-
Of course, the exploration wasn’t over until we safely returned to the surface.
We kept our guard up as we made our way to the exit.
Eventually, we reached the entrance without incident.
「And with that, our investigation is complete. Thanks to everyone who stuck around to watch until the end.」
Hime addressed the viewers.
〔Thanks for your hard work, Alpha-chan〕
〔Can we get a ‘you pathetic bugs’ as a parting gift?〕
Akashi-san, what kind of comments are you approving?
Hime sighed deeply before responding.
「I am ‘not’ a bratty little girl. What are you even trying to make me say? If you want to hear that sort of thing, go to a themed cafe or something.」
She said firmly, delivering a sincere rebuke.
〔Thank you for the scolding〕
The viewers chimed in with gratitude.
Honestly, our viewers are all like this, aren’t they?
「Well, that’s the end of our investigation. If the government requests it, we might do a second or even third stream, so stay tuned!」
Just as she finished speaking, a member of the Self-Defense Force, who had been waiting on the first floor, handed her a piece of paper.
「The Dungeon Bureau updates new dungeon information and official streams daily. For more details, please subscribe to the Dungeon Bureau’s official channel—」
〔Even the Self-Defense Force gives them cue cards〕
〔Already subscribed〕
〔In the end, the noble young lady got schooled by the state〕
And with that, the stream ended.
「It was kind of fun, that dungeon broadcast.」
「Yeah, but it’s not something you’d skip school for.」
「I don’t want to worry my mother too much, so I hope this is the last emergency job like this.」
「Sorry for dragging you into it. It might be because I had a little contact with the Defense Minister before.」
Though Hime apologized, it wasn’t her fault.
The real culprit is probably Danpon, who’s likely sitting at home playing P〇kémon Silver. That thing looks and sounds like a Pokém〇n knockoff.
Well, maybe I’m partly to blame too.
-0-
After that, we had a debrief with the officials from the Ministry of Defense.
We handed over the broadcast crystal and all the loot we’d gathered, and with that, our work was done.
It’s already 3 PM.
We had some rations in the dungeon, but they weren’t enough, and now I’m starving.
「Even though we snacked in the dungeon, should we grab something to eat?」
「But dinner’s not far off, is it?」
「Then let’s get takoyaki. Taira, wasn’t there a takoyaki stand along Ishikiri Shrine?」
「I think it was near the base of the Ishikiri Buddha… wait, no, that was an akashiyaki stand. I think they only stay open until noon.」
「Not that one. The one closer to the shrine. It’s also an akashiyaki place, but they’re open until the evening.」
「I’ve never had akashiyaki! Akashi! Arrange the car!」
「Hime-ojousama. Understood.」
The five of us headed to Ishikiri Shrine’s promenade to eat akashiyaki.
It was Hime’s first time trying it, and she seemed quite pleased.
We also stopped by the shrine to pray for future success in our dungeon explorations. We bought a little turtle charm called a ‘Prayer Turtle’ , placed it in the turtle’s belly, and sank it into the pond. Finally, we each drew fortunes from a cute white horse.
As for the omikuji results—Hime and Ayame got ‘middle luck’, Milk got ‘bad luck’ and as for me—
「You got great luck, didn’t you?」
「Great luck, right?」
「Of course, it’s great luck.」
Sure enough, it was great luck.
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